Dots and Boxes

Dots and Boxes (also known as Boxes, Squares, Square-it, Dots and Dashes, or Dots) is a pencil and paper game for two players (or sometimes, more than two). In Mexico, dots and boxes is called Timbiriche.

Starting with an empty grid of dots, players takes turns adding a single horizontal or vertical line between two unjoined adjacent dots. A player who completes the fourth side of a box earns one point and takes another turn. (The points are typically recorded by placing in the box an identifying mark of the player, such as an initial). The game ends when no more lines can be placed. The winner of the game is the player with the most points (or complete boxes).

A grid of 2×2 boxes is good for beginners, and 6×6 is good for experts. In games with an even number of boxes, it is conventional that if the game is tied then the win should be awarded to the second player (this offsets the advantage of going first).

The board may be of any size or shape the players wish sometimes even forming hundreds of boxes when complete. For added fun, dots and boxes can be played on a triangular grid or a hexagonal grid. Larger grids make for much longer games and have a larger degree of luck involved. Very large grids make it difficult to skillfully plan ones moves in advance.

The game is played very different by the novice and the expert. A novice in the game simply draw random lines hoping to form as many aquares as possible. Rarely do novices use a large amount of planning or strategy. On the other hand, between experts, dots and boxes becomes a battle for control. An expert player tries to force their opponent to be the one who starts the first long chain.